Thomas Paul Pukstys (born May 28, 1968) is a former American

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

athlete who was a

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the wom ...

er. Pukstys was a six-time U.S. javelin champion, and represented the United States at the 1992 and

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Biography

Pukstys parents came to the U.S. from Lithuania in 1949. He was born in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. He graduated from

Amos Alonzo Stagg High School Amos Alonzo Stagg High School, Stagg, or AAS, is a public four-year high school located at the intersection of S. Roberts Rd. and W. 111th Street in Palos Hills, Illinois, a southwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States. It is part o ...

Palos Hills, Illinois Palos Hills is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States. It is a southwest suburb of Chicago. The city was established in 1958 and had reached a population of 18,530 in the 2020 census. It is the home of Moraine Valley Community College as ...

. His older brother Andrew was attending medical school in Lithuania, and returned home with a gift for Pukstys: a javelin. Thereafter, Pukstys quit the high school baseball team, and went out for the track team, throwing the javelin 155 feet in his first track meet. For his first two years as an undergraduate, Pukstys enrolled in the

College of DuPage College of DuPage is a Public college, public community colleges in the United States, community college with its main campus in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. The college also owns and operates facilities in the Illinois communities of Addison, Illinois ...

in Glen Ellyn, and was a member of the DuPage Chaparrals track and field team. After his sophomore year, he accepted an athletic scholarship to transfer to the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...

in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a member of the

Florida Gators track and field The Florida Gators track and field program represents the University of Florida in the sport of track and field. The program includes separate men's and women's teams, both of which compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic As ...

team. He graduated from the University of Florida with a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in public relations in 1992. Pukstys broke his first American record in June 1993. His personal best was a throw of 87.12 meters in 1997. Pusktys was an assistant track and field coach for the U.S. Olympic team that competed in the 2012 Summer Olympics in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

Seasonal bests by year

*1987 - 71.34 *1988 - 75.72 *1989 - 74.82 *1990 - 83.30 *1991 - 81.68 *1992 - 83.20 *1993 - 85.70 *1994 - 82.32 *1995 - 84.50 *1996 - 86.82 *1997 - 87.12 *1998 - 85.06 *1999 - 84.11 *2000 - 84.25 *2001 - 79.48 *2003 - 79.31 *2004 - 78.85

Achievements

References

*
USATF Profile
* 1968 births Living people American male javelin throwers American Olympic coaches American people of Lithuanian descent American track and field coaches Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1996 Summer Olympics Florida Gators men's track and field athletes Olympic track and field athletes of the United States People from Glen Ellyn, Illinois Sportspeople from DuPage County, Illinois Track and field athletes from Illinois Junior college men's track and field athletes in the United States Goodwill Games medalists in athletics Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games {{US-javelinthrow-athletics-bio-stub

Biography

Seasonal bests by year

Achievements

See also

References